About me

This blogname was derived from the novel The Secret Life Of Saeed The Pessoptimist by the Palestinian Israeli Emile Habiby: absurdism as weapon against the (ir)realities of daily life in Palestine/Israel. (The subtitle is from a book by Dutch author Renate Rubinstein. It could as well be my motto).
My real name is Martin (Maarten Jan) Hijmans. I've been covering the ME since 1977 and have been a correspondent in Cairo. I started my 'Abu Pessoptimist' blog in January 2009 out of anger during the onslaught in Gaza. The other one, The Pessoptmist, is meant to be a sister version in English. (En voor de Nederlandstaligen: ik wilde in november 2009 een tweede blog in het Engels beginnen en ontdekte te laat dat als je één account hebt, een profiel dan meteen ook voor allebei de blogs geldt. Vandaar dat het nu ineens in het Engels is... So sorry.)

Monday, December 6, 2010

After Brazil also Argentina recognizes state of Palestine

Kirchner and Abbas.

After Brazil's decision to recognize a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, confirmed on Sunday, that she would also recognize an independent Palestine with the same parameters.
Kirchner made the announcemeent in a phone call to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in which she added that her recognition was not just a political gesture, but a moral stand.
Brazil announced its official recognition of a Palestinian state on December 3, responding to a request sent by Abbas on November 24, through a letter from the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Abbas. Isarel has said it deplored the deciiosns of both countries. More than 100 countries have already recognized an independent Palestine within its '67 borders, including all Arab countries, most African nations and part of the new Asian economic powers, such as China and India.

Update: Uruguay announced soon afterward that it would recognize a Palestinian state next year. “Uruguay will surely follow the same path as Argentina in 2011,” Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Conde told AFP.